Means for controlling the supply of hot liquid to a container



July 20, 1937 l c. J. BEAVER ET AL 2,087,793

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF HOT LlQUID TO A CONTAINER Filed May 27, 1935' www/Wam Patented July 20, 1937 ansias:

MEANS FOR CONTBOILING THE SUPPLY F HOT LIQUID T0 A. CONTAINER Charles James Beaver and `Thomas James Faireld, Bowdon, England, allignoil to W. v'I.. Glover and Company Limited, Manchester, England, a British company Application May 27. 1935, Serial No. 23,780 In Great Britain June 2, 1934 'z claim. (ci. 20v- 1) This invention deals with the automatic supply of predetermined quantities of hotliquid. It is, for instance, applicable to the supplying of molten lead to a feeding vessel of an extrusion press of the kind described in United States patent application Serial No. 655,058, led February 3, l933,.in which a vessel is mounted on the top of the container of the press and accordingly rises with the container as extrusion takes place. By the present invention such a vessel can be given at each cycle of operation apredetermined quantity `of molten lead at the appropriate stage of its movement.

In accordance with the invention, we use in combination means actuated by the relative movement of the receiving and supplying parts of the systems to cause the commencement of the supply when the parts are in appropriate relative positions, and means actuated by heat received from the hot liquid supplied influenced by temperature to cut off the supply when the predetermined quantity has been given.

When applied to apparatus in which the receiving vessel moves, the invention provides that illling can commence when the vessel passes a denite point and may stop when the delivery of the appropriate quantity has produced a predetermined effect by the influence of the heat of the liquid on a thermometer bulb or other thermal responsive device which is placed in position so as to become submerged in, or to come otherwise under the influence of, the hot liquid.

It is preferred to make use of an electricallyactuated relay for opening and closing the valve for the supply of the liquid and to use, for the control of this relay, switches actuated, in one case, by relative movements and, in the other case, by a temperature responsive device. It is also preferred to connect in these control circuits signal lamps or other devices to indicate thestage of operation which has been reached at any time.

A way in which the invention may be applied to a lead press of the kind described in United States patent application Serial No. 655,058 will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a lead press furnished with means for charging a predetermined lquantity of lead, with-- J drawn from a melting pot, periodically into the feeding vessel mounted on top of the container of the lead press.

two controlling switches, one, n, serving to start metal is-forced by the ram b into the die box c as the container is moved vertically upwards 'by the hydraulic ram e. A feeding vessel d is arranged at the top of the container ain the manner described in the specification of application 5 No. 655,058. This feeding vessel constitutes that one of two relatively movable vessels into whichA hot liquid is automatically supplied. The lead meiting pot constitutes the second of these two vessels. This melting pot is xed and arranged y with its delivery valve g above the highest level reached by the feeding vessel d. A hinged chute h.

leads from the valve g to a point above the feeding vessel in the upper parts of its travel. The valve a is controlled by a device i known as a thruster which, in this case, consists of an electric motor actuating a centrifugal pump and causing oil to ilow from one side of a piston to the other so as to move the piston upwards and hold it in the raised position while the motor is running. 'I'his upward movement opens the valve g. The downward movement, which takes plac when the circuit of the motor is opened, isvassisted by a weight attached to the valve lever lc on which the thruster acts. Alternatively, or in addition, the downward movement of the valve may bev assisted by spring force.

From the mains l to the thrustor motor m the circuit passes through a main switch M.l S. and

the motor and the other, p, to stop it. 'Ihe starting switch is provided with two rocking arms q1 and q2 which lie in the path of a projection s carried by the press table on the hydraulic ram e. As the container a rises and reaches the point at which filling of the feeding vessel d should commence, this projection s engages the arm q1 and lifts it, thereby closing the switch n. Since the stopping control switch p is normally in the closed position, the thrustor motor m is started and the valve gis opened and mol n m'etal flows down the chute h; into the feeding essel d.

The stopping control switch p is of the mercury type and is controlled by a Bourdon tube t connected through a capillary tube u with a thermometer bulb v located in the uppe part of the feeding vessel d. When the molten Head reaches this bulb and covers it, the heat ca s the liquid in the bulb to expand and thereby communicate pressure to the Bourdon tube which rocks the mercury switch, p and opens the circuit, thus causing the thrustor motor m to stop and the -valve g of the melting pot to close. Means are mercury switch p to give the best operating conditions.

When the feeding vessel d has delivered its charge of molten metal to the container which takes place when the container'has been lowered .f

A subsidiary mercury switch, not shown, is

preferably included in the circuit to produce a break in the circuit of the thruster motor m in the event of the thermometer bulb v or capillary tube u becoming damaged. y

Three signal lamps are arranged as follows. A red lamp x is connected across the mains between the main switch M..S. and the starting switch n so that it is illuminated whenever the mains are alive. A blue lamp y is connected across the mains at a point between the starting switch n and the stopping switch p so as to show when the starting switch is closed. 'I'his indication is independent of the stopping switch. Y A yellow lamp z is cmnected across the mains between the stopping switch p and the thruster motor m. This will accordingly light up only when both control switches.are closed and the motor circuit is alive.

In the normal conditions of operation, the ed lamp :c is continuously illuminated. The blue and yellow lamps are lit up simultaneously when the container a rises to the point at which filling of the feeding vessel d should commence. The yellow lamp z is extinguished when filling of the vessel stops. The blue lamp y is extinguished multaneously with the opening of the starting Jwitch n during the downward movement'of the container.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a lead press having a rising and falling container on the top of which is mounted a feed" ing pot to the feeding vessel, means comprising an electric relay for opening said valve, means'norh closing said valve, a circuit extending from ak source of supply to the said relay, a starting switch and a stopping switch inserted in saidl circuit, means, associated with the container, for closing the said starting switch when the feeding vessel is raised to the point at which filling is required to commence and for opening it before the re-closure of the stopping switch owing to the discharge of the metal from the feeding vessel into the container takes place, and means comprising a thermometer located in the upper part of the feeding vessel, for opening the stopping switch when the molten v.metal in the feeding vessel has attained a predetermined level.

2.-Means for effecting the automatic supply of predetermined quantities df hot liquid to one of two relatively movable vessels from the other, comprising a valve for arresting the flow of liquid, means controlled by the relative movement of the two vessels for opening said valve when the parts are in appropriate relative positions, and means actuated by heat received from the hot liquid supplied for closing said' valve when the predetermined quantity has been supplied.

3. Means for effecting the automatic `supply of predetermined quantities of hot liquid to one of two relatively movable vessels from the other, comprising a valve for arresting the flow of the liquid, an electrically actuated relay operating upon the said valve to control the flow of liquid therethrough, a circuit extending from a source of electric supply to said relay, means comprising a switch included in said circuit and actuated kby movement of one vessel relative to the other, for causing said valve to open when the two .vessels are in appropriate relative positions and means, comprising a second switch included in said circuit and actuated by heat receivedfrom theA hot liquid supplied, for causing said valve to close when a predetermined quantity 'of liquid has been supplied.

4. Means for eifecting the automatic supply of predetermined quantities of hot liquid to one of two relatively movable vessels from the other,

comprising a valve for controlling the supply of the liquid, an electrically actuated relay operating upon the said valve to control the flow oi.' liquid therethrough, a circuit extending from a source of electric supply to said relay, means comprising a switch included in said circuit and actuated by movement of one vessel relative to the other, for causing said valve to open when the two vessels are in appropriate relative positions. and means for causing said valve to close when a predetermined quantity o f liquid has been supplied, said closing means comprising a thermometer bulb placed in the receiver vessel and actuated by heat received from the hot liquid supplied thereto, a Bourdon pressure tube placed in communication by a capillary tube with said bulb, and a second switch included in the said circuit and actuated by movement of the said pressure tube.

5. In an extrusion press having a rising and falling container on which is mounted a feeding' pssel into which.molten metal is fed from a storage vessel and from which the metal is discharged into the container when the container is lowered, means for automatically controllingl the supply ofA molten metal from the storage vessel to the feeding.vessel, said means comprising .a valve governing the flow of metal from' the storage vessel to the feeding vessel, means actuated by movement of the container for opening said Valve when the feeding vessel is raised to the point at which fllling is required to commence andy means, actuatedby heat received from the molten metal supplied to the feeding Vessel, for closing said valve when the predetermined quantity has been supplied.

6. In an extrusion press having a rising and falling container on which is mounted a feeding vessel'into which molten metalis fed from a storage vessel and from which the metal is discharged into the container when the container is lowered, means for automatically controlling I the supply of molten metal from the storage vessel to the feeding vessel, said means comprising a valve governing the ilow of metal from the storage vessel to the feeding vessel, an electrically actuated relay operating upon said valve to control the flow of metal therethrough, a circuit extending from a source of electric supply to said relay, means comprising a switch, included in said circuit and actuated by movement of the container, for causing said valve to open when the feeding vessel is raised to the point at which lling is required to commence, and means, comprising a second switch included in said circuit and actuated by /heat received from the molten metal supplied to the feeding vessel, for causing said valve to close when a-predetermined quantity of molten metal has been supplied.

7. In an extrusion press having a rlsingand falling container on which is mounted a feeding vessel into which molten metal is ied from a storage vessel and from which the metal is discharged into the container when the container is lowered, means for automatically controlling the supply of molten metalI from the storage vessel to the feeding vessel, said meansoo'mprising a valve governing the nowf metal from the atorage vessel to the feeding vessel, an electrically actuated relay operating upon said valve to control the flow of metal therethrough, a circuit extending from a source of electric supply to said relay, means comprising a switch, included in said circuit and actuated by movement of the container, for causing said valve to open when the feeding vessel is raised to the point at which filling isrequired to commence, and means for causingl said valve to close when a predetermined quantity of molten metal has been supplied, said closing means comprising a thermometer bulb placed in the receiver vessel and heated by the molten metal supplied, a Bourdon pressure tube placed in communication by a capillary tube with said bulb, and a second switch included in the said circuit and actuated by movement of the said pressure tube.

CHARLES JAMES BEAVER; 'I'HOMAS JAMES FAIRFIELD. 

